Arizona high, Tonto National Forest! Where wild horses still roam free!
This is Iroquois band with our latest and only foal this year: Moonfire.
Our virtual Christmas card to our dear supporters!
” As just one herd, yet many bands, Salt River wild horses claimed these lands. Living their lives as nature planned, Any sighting of them is just grand…”
A mother. A legacy. A herd still standing.
We are sharing this beautiful memory of Mellie and her fillie Nellie, they were such a sweet pair! Nellie is now 5 and Mellies other filly Kellie is 6 years old, and both are in their own bands and doing great. (Kellie may even be pregnant, fingers crossed!)
This was Mellie yesterday, suffering terribly, but today, she rests in peace.
22-year-old Mellie showed so much bravery to keep going, and this is how you know that wild horses never give up. But we did not want her dying a horrible, slow death, because she deserves better.
It’s not snowing here, but we need more snowfencing asap, so we can let the “Bad boys” out!
We’ve already spent what we raised before, but we are in need of more, before we can safely let them out!
We need to complete 2 miles of fencing so that the “Bad boys” cannot cross the dangerous road anymore!
Most people don’t realize this, but the Salt River wild horses are protected entirely by the community, and our supporters — not by government funding. Every fence line, every rescue, every bale of hay, ever day of monitoring, our hotline etc, can exist only because people choose to support our important work. Without that support, these horses would literally be nowhere; and they would have no safety net.
Meet Deb and say Happy Birthday
Since 2015, yes 10 years, Deb Saari has shown up for the Salt River horses every single day — not because she has to … because these horses are what she deeply cares about.
IMPORTANT UPDATE ON DISEASE OUTBREAK, SALT RIVER HERD (NO EHV1)
We are collecting important information, but unfortunately, beyond monitoring, there is nothing we can do to ease their suffering, they are wild horses after all—the disease just has to run its course.
VSV: We are checking our list twice, but not for who’s naughty or nice…
We just want to assure you who care, and we want to thank you for your share!
This is for everyone who will miss Red Wind, the oldest Salt River wild horse.
It was one of the last times he was seen alive, and it’s as if he said goodbye, or farewell, or perhaps even ” thanks for leaving me wild”.
A mysterious Salt River Wild Horse Death.
He was lesser-known, but not less magnificent— Tyrus, may you run forever free, as thundering and proud as you always did.
We are very sorry to inform you that the first of two unexpected deaths, was Red Wind, the oldest Salt River wild horse. May he run forever free.
“Unexpected” to a certain degree, because we knew Red Wind was very old, but he was doing much better than he was before. Red Wind had gained weight back, with our care, and when we ended the feedprogram at the river, we made sure he was eating grasses and eelgrasses which were easy for him to chew.
⚠️ URGENT CLOSURE NOTICE FOR HORSEBACK RIDERS: Salt River Area ⚠️
The U.S. Forest Service and AZDA have issued a closure order affecting horseback riders throughout the entire Salt River horse habitat, due to detection of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV) in Salt River wild horses. SRWHMG has been paying close attention because of the current outbreaks, and immediately reported symptoms in several horses to AZDA. More …
Too Adorable to Handle! Dad Garrett and son Moonfire.
Someone commented that wild stallions are mean to foals… clearly they don’t know anything. This is the stunning wild stallion Garrett and his son Moonfire, the only 2025 Salt River foal. We check on him every day, and Garrett checks on him every minute of the day! Wild dads love and protect their babies Watch …
Happy Thanksgiving from All of Us at SRWHMG
Today, our hearts are overflowing with gratitude — for you, our donors, supporters, and volunteers who make every single day possible. Did you know that besides everything we do for the Salt River wild horses, we also care for 38 rescued horses and burros? Every day, three times a day, they receive their meals — …
Baby’s First Rain!️ Here they come, Moonshadow and Moonfire!
It’s the baby’s first rain, and it’s been coming and going for two days now — with even more on the way tonight. We’ve been closely monitoring the band, (Iroquois band). Here they are, gathered together, with the baby lying down on the right. He’s a little cold, but we are grateful this didn’t happen …
✨HELP TO NAME THIS LEAD STALLION OF THE FUTURE! ✨
Meet our newest Salt River colt — the miracle baby of Moonshadow ( Brighteyes x Mick) and Garrett, (Sapphire x Diego) already showing the spark and confidence of a future lead stallion. We need a name for him envisioning that future!
It’s true — we have a new foal!
Some couldn’t wait to post him… but no one knows what it took to give this little guy a real chance at life.
Run free — forever part of the Salt River herd and our hearts. ❤️
This is a job that requires vigilance, compassion, manpower, expertise and difficult decisions — ensuring that when suffering cannot be healed, it is eased, and that every Salt River wild horse lives and dies with dignity and care.
Honoring All Who Serve — Human and Horse Alike
Today, we pause to honor every soul who has ever stood in service — the brave men and women who’ve worn uniform, and the noble horses who have carried them through history.
As the River Flows: Silver
So, what do you get when you cross an older, suave, gray stallion named Sarge with a strikingly beautiful copper-colored mare, graced with a flowing black mane, named Serena? You get Silver.
Grab your coffee for this week’s story… “BADA$$ MARES”.
Please note, many of the stories currently being told come from our longtime volunteers from years ago, who had a particular horse—or horses—they first fell in love with.
Bearing heartbreaking news, again…
Please keep Rainna and her band in your thoughts and prayers tonight. We also still have another expecting mare for this year, so please keep them in your prayers also. If anyone wants to help search, or finds anything, please call our hotline.
The Bad Boys in time out… living up to their reputation.
Classic bachelor stallion behavior: one minute, they’re best friends, the next, they’re trying to kick each other in the face. (Not unlike human bachelors!)
Grab your coffee for this week’s “Old Warriors”…
Do you remember what we’ve mentioned before—that some stallions make better lieutenants than lead stallions? Well, we’re not even sure that role fit our boy, Charles.
The “bad boys” aren’t done testing us yet!😅
Just one day back, and they proved their reputation again, they traveled 4 miles back, crossed the road and ended up at the Marina!
💚 THE “BAD BOYS” ARE SAFE! 💚
After a few nerve-wracking days on the highway, our infamous foursome — Centurion, Dreamer, Charlie, and Pacer — are finally back where they belong behind safe boundary fencing.( in the northern mountain quadrant, or NMQ for short.) 🐎
As the River Flows: Robin
We have many old warriors who fit—or have fit—into this category, and we will tell their stories. But the story of the old warrior could not be told without this stallion.
HORSES ON THE ROAD – SLOW DOWN!
Our “Bad Boys” — Centurion, Dreamer, Charlie, and Pacer — have been roaming the dangerous stretch of Bush Hwy between Water Users and the Saguaro Lake Marina and Butcher Jones. This is farther than they usually go and the last unfenced part of Salt River horse habitat. The grass is greener here, literally, thanks to …
🌟 We’re reaching milestones on our pages and we want to thank you!!
Our public Facebook page, is at 186,000 of YOU! Our Advocates page reached 100,000 this week also! 🎉
Helping Wild Horses Find Their Way Home 🐎
A huge thank you to the Fountain Hills community for your vigilance, support, and compassion. It takes a village—and you showed up.
It’s Official! 💖 Our newest little miracle on the Salt River now has a name.
We couldn’t imagine one more fitting. Through last week’s thunderstorms, she stood strong and curious beside her loving family.
As the River Flows: Until this old warrior, too, is called home.
Many of our volunteers have been with us for over 10 years, so we asked some of them, who their “first love” was when they joined us. This is the precursor to our first story next week.
🌧️A Stormy Welcome to Our First 2025 Foal! 🌧️
We are overjoyed to introduce the newest member of the Salt River Wild Horse Herd! 🎉 Time for A Fundraising Name Vote!
From Starving to Safe — DaVinci Has Found His Forever Home!
They found him starving, confused and ready to get out of the desert — and brought him to the SRWHMG Headquarters and safety.
25 Arizona wild mustangs brought to the Bowie Auction!
Our hotline received a heartbreaking call from Nirvana Mustang Sanctuary — Jackie Hughes from Rail Lazy H has brought 25 Arizona wild mustangs to the Bowie Auction right now! We feel compelled to stand with Nirvana Mustang Sanctuary.
As the River Flows: “Behind a great stallion is a great lieutenant”
Serta has had his band for several years, and his lieutenants, One Knee, and Surfer Dude, have been right by his side.
Happy birthday to our very own Debra Mykitiak!
We are family here at the SRWHMG so have a most awesome birthday Debra M… We love ya ..
We’ve had several questions about how the horses fared during Friday’s torrential downpours.
Some horses—especially when temperatures are warm—actually seem to enjoy the rain, sometimes even rolling in the wet sand or mud.
The death of a bandmate… and the funeral that follows.
You may have noticed that many of our recent posts have focused on family and emotion. Today, we continue with that theme.
Humane Management: When suffering won’t end on its own, and we are authorized to step in, we will.
Our beloved wild rescues came to us from desperate situations and with time and healing become happy little family bands. That now live safe, happy lives surrounded by care and love from our SRWHMG Care Team.
We Are Family!
Just another band of horses you could say, but when you deepen your understanding of herd dynamics, you can see how extraordinary each family is.
We are sad to report another loss on the Salt River.
A young stallion, just 6 years old named Cadence was found deceased today.
Community Support in Action!
Recently, thanks to the generosity of All American Rentals, we were able to complete improvements at our SRWHMG headquarters.
Grab your coffee… we are back with our Friday “As the River Flows”
To emancipate: to release from parental control and responsibility.
Announcement
Our president, Simone Netherlands, is finally taking a well-deserved 3-week break. 🌿✨
🌊 Meanwhile, on the Salt River…
Inspector’s band was peacefully snorkeling for eelgrass when this … well, let’s just say quite selfish human being … decided to disturb not only their peace, but also the peace of many onlookers. 😠
✨ Wind Has Arrived ✨
The beloved Salt River stallion with the old injury is in his forever home 💙 Thank you donors and supporters! Thank you volunteers, and thank you Simone for the update.
Salt River stallion Wind 💨 Rescue Part 2. This part of his journey is all about patience, trust, and comfort.
Because it was too hot to transport him all the way to Prescott on rescue day, Wind made a little layover at our Beeline facility 🏡. Here, he’s slowly getting used to people, and we’ve started his gentling process — always on his terms.
Happy Birthday to one of our longest standing volunteers, Pam Buschbacher!
Pam has been with us ever since February of 2015, that’s almost 11 years of spending every free minute she has!
🌟 Rescue for Wind! 🐴
Ten years ago, a brave Salt River stallion named Wind broke his front leg. Against all odds, he not only survived—he thrived. Wind healed, adapted, raised a family, and defended his band with strength and dignity.
Your generosity stocked our feed room with grain for our Salt River Rescues!
Join the impact—Tractor Supply cards make it easy to help!
🚨These horses are counting on us!
You know we’ve always walked the walk for the Salt River wild horses—and we know you do too, and it’s no easy feat.
🌎 The Bigger Picture
We’ve been quiet on social media lately—hard at work on the important proposal for the Salt River wild horses. (We also don’t use auto-generated posts here—you always get the real us!)
📹 A piece of Salt River horse history you might not know.
In this exclusive testimonial, a former Tonto National Forest supervisor confirms an important part of Arizona’s history: Before 1971, the Salt River wild horses were managed under federal law, on the Sunflower Allotment, in the TNF, as part of the Forest Service’s multiple-use mandate.
Our volunteers make us proud 💛 Every. Single. Day. 💛
Before most people have had their first cup of coffee, they’ve already been miles deep into the river, lifting hay bales, checking fences, and watching over every wild horse in the Salt River herd. 🐎🌊
🥰 We love you dear supporters!
We want you, our supporters, to understand that while we cannot say too much until after the state has made its decision, our passion is no less strong.
🐴 From Starving to Safe — Help Us Name Our Handsome Survivor! 🐴
Thanks to YOU — our incredible supporters — he is now safe, gaining weight fast (he eats twice as much as our wild rescues!), and has a real chance at a happy future.
🆘POSSIBLE scenario: Over Half of the Salt River Wild Horses May Need a New Home — You Can Help by Sharing Far and Wide! 🐴
We find ourselves contemplating between a rock and a hard place right now, and we deeply appreciate the efforts of Mayor Lisa Borowski, as we responsibly prepare for any scenario.
🐴SRWHMG Rescues Emaciated Horse, Found In The Forest, Abandoned!
Domestic horses are not equipped to survive in the wild. Abandonment means slow starvation! Does anyone recognize this horse? He is pretty distinct.
💔 We cannot be on the news; all we can say is that our commitment to these horses is stronger than ever
We we cannot be on the news and talk about the RFP, because we are bidding for the new contract and there are procurement laws we will not break.
💎 Diamond Turns 10…We almost just forgot, because we are so busy trying to find solutions to keep his herd safe, again! 💔
On July 31st, 2015, a beautiful wild foal was born to Sapphire and Shadowfax, we named him Diamond. —On that fateful day the Forest Service posted the impound notice for all of the Salt River wild horses! Can you believe that is 10 years ago? We had 7 days to save the Salt River wild …
BREAKING: Scottsdale Mayor Considers Sanctuary for Salt River Wild Horses 🐴💚
Just in case.
Check out this beautiful video by Experience Scottsdale!
Mesa, Apache Junction, Fountain Hills, Scottsdale and Phoenix are all less than half an hour drive from the Salt River and all these cities and local communities benefit from their presence through tourism!
Navigating life with your best friends is so much better.
That’s what wild horses care about most, each other!
Pine Nut Wild Horse Advocates – Neptune’s Story: A Case for Effective Wild Horse Management
Sharing a good post of a very similar situation of the pine nut wild horses who have just one foal this year. Great job pine nut wild horse advocates.
Run Forever Free Aquarius!
We would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to all of you for the fifteen thousand responses and three hundred thousand views regarding the passing of Aquarius.
They kept Calling for Her…Hoping She Would Get Up, But She Was Gone 💔
Wild horses are so bonded to each other, so social and sentient, and they mourn just like we do.
Like our Facebook page, SRWHMG- Wild Rescues for daily updates!
If you like to see daily updates of our rescued Salt River wild horses this is the page!
💔 A Salt River Legend Has Passed — Remembering Aquarius 💔
Yesterday, someone reported a horse lying still on the riverbank thinking she was already deceased. We responded immediately—it was Aquarius. She was alive, but clearly not well.
📚 History Lessons – Part 1 📰 “Phoenix Concern Eliminating Wild Horses From State”
In 1927, a newspaper article revealed the industrial-scale Elimination of Arizona’s wild horses by the Arizona Reduction Works, a horse slaughter plant in Phoenix.
A Closer Look at Red Wind: An Aging wild Stallion Fighting to survive. (Pt. 1 and 2)
As Red Wind ages his teeth wear down… and slowly, he stopped being able to eat properly. That’s usually a death sentence for wild horses.
P.A.W 4 The Foundation: Colt With Injured Leg at Cleburne Auction — But How Did He Get There?
P.A.W: This colt, tagged #291 and listed as an Alpine wild horse, is being auctioned tonight. We don’t recognize him or 4 others, and there is no Forest Service notice of sale.
🐎✨ Did you know today is National I Love Horses Day?
Let’s talk about why the Salt River Wild Horses are so loved—and yet, also discriminated against, scapegoated, and devalued by some.
🐴 FROM AUCTION TO PEACE 🌿
Meet Zander, born wild and free in March of 2024 in the Apache Sitgreaves national Forest, documented by SRWHMG and the Alpine Wild Horse Advocates.
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure
Just numbers, 185 and 186. Removed from their natural home and Discarded. Thrown out like trash. But to us? These sweet horses have names.
Once again, Jackie Hughes and the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest are back at it.
They’re sending Alpine horses to slaughter auctions — and it’s absolutely deplorable.
🚨Total Outrage! Auctioning Tonight, Please Help!
We have enough to save just 3 out of the 6 Alpines! Please help to share for the other 3, as there are only 2 hours left!
Wild horses should get more credit for all the good things they do for the environment!
Please spread this reel! Thank you.
A great documentary is in the works!
The new RFP has yet to be released, so we are waiting like everyone else to see what happens next.
🌞 It’s hot in Arizona — please stay cool, and also be cool to the Salt River Wild Horses! 🐴💦
Here’s what’s NOT cool when visiting the very cool Salt River.
🌞 It’s hot in Arizona — please stay cool, and also be cool to the Salt River Wild Horses! 🐴💦
Here’s what’s NOT cool when visiting the very cool Salt River.
Have you watched this spectacular footage?
The mare, Lady Gallahad, and her foal, Constance, remain happy, wild, and free on the Salt River to this day.
Let’s take a minute to breath and notice the good things still on this earth.
Share the innocence, love and tranquility between these brothers and their watchful Dad. And then renew your vow to help protect it, just please share and help us protect it!
When Your Own “Defense” Becomes the Smoking Gun 🔥
In a clumsy attempt to prove that JH is a compassionate and law-abiding steward of wild horses, her proxy John Mack recently posted a video on YouTube. The goal? To prove that “everything you’ve heard about Jackie Hughes is not true.” But ironically, the video only added more proof of her unlawful actions—violations of FSrules as well as her contract. (Her contracts together cost the tax payer close to 2 million)
Why Wild Horses Make Incredible Dads 🐴👨👧👦
Wild stallions are more than just majestic symbols of freedom—they’re also loving, devoted and fiercely protective fathers.
💞Not a job too daunting, not a mile too distant and not a challenge she can’t overcome!
Karen makes a profound impact in our organization, and it’s her Birthday!!
💞🐴Happy Friday, Happy Bear Update!
It’s in moments like this, that we know without a doubt, that all the hard work is worth it.